I use one cup of kosher salt per gallon of whey. I heat it to about 165*F and use a strainer basket with handles to put the cubes of curd in for heating. I pull them up to check whether they are ready, gently pulling them apart so that the heat reaches all the way to the center. I join them together and do a few test pulls and if there are any firm spots, it goes back in the whey until it is all softened.
Pull and fold, pull and fold the curd. DO NOT knead it, squeeze it, or otherwise treat it roughly. Doing so presses out the butterfat, which is probably part of why it turned out bland, and overworking the curd will leave it tough.
Once the curd is shiny, roll it into a ball, submerge in the hot whey just enough to make the ball nice & tidy, then submerge in ice water to firm it all up.
Let us know how your next batch turns out.
That tough, bland batch will still melt nicely for pizza, lasagna, etc.